After an extensive four-year renovation period, the musée Carnavalet, reopens to the public on Saturday 29 May 2021. The renovated museum offers an enhanced visitor’s experience that provides a unique travel through time to discover the rich history of the city of Paris – a story told through 625,000 artefacts, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, woodwork, art pieces and photography. Snøhetta has participated in the overall reorganization of the layout of the museum, working hand in hand with Chatillon Architectes to offer a new visitor experience that can accommodate for a large number of visitors all while carefully respecting the original features of the museum.

In 2016, Snøhetta was commissioned along lead architect Chatillon Architectes to undertake the architectural renovation of one of the most prominent museums in France: the historic musée Carnavalet. Situated in the 3rd arrondissement in Paris, in the historic and vibrant district of the Marais, the 3,900 m2 musée Carnavalet is the oldest of all Parisian museums, and before closing for renovation in 2016, the museum welcomed more than 400,000 visitors each year.

The musée Carnavalet is the result of the merging of two significant buildings, the Hôtel Carnavalet, completed in 1655 by the famous architect François Mansart, and the adjacent Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, built in 1688 based on drawings from architect Pierre Bullet. Since the mid-1800’s, the musée Carnavalet has been listed as a so-called “Monument Historique” because of its importance to France’s architectural and cultural heritage.

▼博物馆外观，富有历史性的建筑，external view of the museum with historic importance ©Antoine Mercusot